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Daily news - 3rd June 2026 |
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UK news
DDN Magazine June 2026
As the country celebrates Pride in all its glory, we’re championing many forms of inclusion in this month’s issue. As a new report by London Friend reveals (p14), mental health issues like trauma, loneliness and isolation are major challenges for LGBTQ+ drug and alcohol support services – issues that confront us in many contexts | DDN, UK
Substance use services from a lived experience perspective - reviewing the evidence from 2024-25 around MAT Implementation
This release summarises a qualitative secondary analysis of lived and living experience evidence about substance use services across Scotland, focusing on implementation of the 10 Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards during 2024-25 | Public Health Scotland, UK
Alcohol industry demonstrates near universal compliance with health labelling guidelines
A new study has revealed near universal levels of compliance across the alcohol industry with the voluntary health labelling guidelines set by the Portman Group – the UK alcohol marketing self-regulator and social responsibility body. The study sampled 500 alcohol products taken from the UK’s top brands, who together roughly cover over 90% of the retail alcohol sold by volume across all major UK retailers | Portman Group, UK
ARBD in the community: recognition, response and pathways forward
Thursday 15 October • 9:30 AM - 1 PM GMT+1. This half-day online conference will explore how ARBD presents across housing and homelessness services, adult social care, primary care, safeguarding, community safety and other frontline settings. Moving beyond a secondary care focus, the event will look at what community services can do now to improve recognition, support and outcomes | Alcohol Change UK, UK
Prison worker who smuggled drugs for killer jailed
A corrupt prison watchdog boss who smuggled cannabis for a killer serving a life sentence and sent explicit messages to him and others has been jailed | BBC, UK
International news
Charting the decline of the fourth wave: US overdose deaths by race, ethnicity and substance involvement
[Open access] The nationwide decrease was largely driven by falling deaths involving illicit fentanyl, both alone and in combination with stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine | Addiction, UK
A comparison of labelling requirements for alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis across WHO regions and implications for alcohol labelling policy in Canada
[Open access] This study compares federally-mandated labelling requirements for alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis across WHO regions to contextualize Canada’s position within the global landscape and assess whether Canadian alcohol labelling requirements align with the documented health burden | IJDP, UK
One-ton cocaine bust reveals secret US-Mexico tunnel
Members of Jalisco New Generation cartel used fake retail store in San Diego as front for trafficking drugs, officials say | Guardian, UK
'Very concerning': Young people warned mixing cocaine and alcohol can be fatal
Nearly 5,000 young people who had been followed since the age of nine as part of the Growing Up in Ireland study were asked about their use of eight substances, including alcohol, e-cigarettes, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, ketamine and other drugs. The study found half of Irish 20-year-olds are drinking at risky levels, while almost a tenth are classed as high-risk drinkers, and 5% show signs of possible alcohol dependence. The study also found 38% smoked tobacco, almost a quarter used cannabis, 23% had used cocaine in the previous year, 18% ecstasy, and 12% had taken ketamine | Irish Examiner, Ireland
EU agencies explore practical AI solutions in the field of Justice and Home Affairs
Experts from across the EU Justice and Home Affairs Agencies’ Network (JHAAN) are meeting today for a thematic event examining how artificial intelligence (AI) can support innovation, preparedness and digital transformation across EU agencies | EUDA, Portugal
Cannabis and tobacco co-use lowers cognitive performance in at-risk youth
New research shows that among people at clinical high risk for psychosis, cannabis and tobacco co-use was associated with lower cognitive performance compared to healthy controls. The novel study appearing in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier, fills a critical gap in research, providing clinicians and scientists with vital new insights into the risks associated with cannabis and tobacco co-use and the potential impact on vulnerable adolescents | News Medical, USA
STASH, Vol. 22(6) – Loneliness and subsequent substance use in young adulthood
Blogs, comment and opinion
Meet the next generation of leaders in addiction science
The SSA is pleased to introduce the first cohort of PhD students and fellows through the Addiction Healthcare Goals flagship research leadership programme. Find out more about the researchers and their innovative ideas for addressing addiction to illicit drugs and alcohol | SSA, UK